Gustavo Petro requests resignation from his cabinet and dissolves his government coalition

First modification: 04/26/2023 – 16:35

That President Gustavo Petro asks his 18 ministers to resign by protocol is a step towards a radical restructuring of the Government, in his ninth month in power.

This is not the first time that such a change has occurred in his presidency, but the form has been different. In February he directly removed three ministers: Alejandro Gaviria (Health), Patricia Ariza (Culture) and María Isabel Urrutia (Sports).

Who will be the new ministers this time? That is the question that has no public answer for now.

The president makes it clear that it is a political decision linked to the end of the coalition of left-wing parties and movements, the Historical Pact, the U, the Liberal, the Conservative and the Green Alliance.

“The invitation to a social pact for change has been rejected. Those who have enriched themselves with the use of public money have not realized that society demands their rights and that this implies dialogue and pact,” said the head of State on his Twitter and concluded: “Such a situation leads us to a rethinking of the government.”

To understand a decision of this nature, it is necessary to see the complete panorama of the government’s pending issues, which require support from the parties or political will:

The development plan, which is still in Congress and, therefore, the rural reform; the newly introduced security policy; the third cycle of negotiations with the ELN, and of course, the health reform, an issue that continues without receiving the acceptance expected by the President and the Minister of Health, Carolina Corcho; and which is also maintained with the firm rejection of the ruling party of the Liberal, Conservative and La U parties.

dissolution announced

In addition to the legislative obstacles that the health reform has had since it was presented to Congress, there are the difficulties with the coalition, formed by his government, to approve other initiatives.

During a speech in the southwest of the country, Gustavo Petro criticized a sector of the ruling coalition for its legislative ineffectiveness in the process of approving regulatory impulses for the executive, especially social reforms, based on his presidential campaign.

“Congress was not capable of approving some very peaceful simple articles that would have allowed a greater democratization of the land,” declared the Colombian president, who also added that “the government’s determination is needed, the government’s audacity, and a peasant movement is needed that rising up in dignity.”

Nor can it be neglected that the local and regional elections will be in October, so this is the time when the political sectors need the most impact, so a decision along these lines affects them.

The reform stays, the cabinet leaves

The reform of the Colombian health system, the flagship initiative of his government, on April 18 was described by the president as a “litmus test” for the ruling coalition.

The intention of the reform is to centralize the control of public health in the State, changing the current system, managed by private entities, for a public and universal one, which guarantees care for all citizens; However, the project has fueled uncertainty regarding its financial viability and fears of a return to the country’s failed healthcare system of the 1990s.

The reform has polarized Colombian society, provoking massive mobilizations in the country’s capital, both for and against.

With Reuters, EFE and local media